Street Artist Maya Hayuk Sues Starbucks for Copyright Infringement Over its Frappuccino Cups
This image has been archived or removed.
Street artist Maya Hayuk is again on the legal warpath to protect her copyrights. For the second time in a year, the Brooklyn muralist is seeking damanges for infringing use of her artwork. Indeed, Hayuk already sued Sara Bareilles (i.e. Sony/Epic) and Coach for infringement. Now, her gaze is trained toward Starbucks.
Hayuk filed a lawsuit against the chain store in Manhattan federal court for $750K in copyright penalties, plus unspecified damages.
This latest Starbucks ripoff seems rather willful. Apparently Hayuk had been in discussions with the coffee behemoth last October to add some colorful flourishes to promote “Mini Frappuccinos.” The talks broke down after eight days, and Hayuk walked away from the deal since she was too busy.
Starbucks forged ahead anyway, and tapped the services of in-house artist Jordan Kay to create a “look-alike.” According to the New York Post, the campaign “used the same abstract, radiating beams of black, white, yellow, magenta and azure that Hayuk had used in a series of five paintings.”
This image has been archived or removed.
Photo: Maya Hayuk
“Starbucks brazenly created artwork that is substantially similar to one or more of Hayuk’s copyrighted works,” the lawsuit claims.
Maya Hayuk painted the Bowery graffiti wall in February 2014.
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